Travel Make-Up Bag

WHAT'S IN MY TRAVEL MOOK-UP BAG?

Well, I had like, half an hour to pack my make-up bag [to Melbourne for 4 days] and here were the products that I chose to bring with me. Good news is that I did not regret bringing any one of these products! Yay! Some, I did not even use.

My go-to make-up bag is this red bag by The Face Shop. A friend (?) from Singapore had sent me this last year, and it has been my bag since! It's very spacious and pretty, but I need a new one. Which bag do you use as your travel make-up bag?


❶ BASE

Skin has been real good to me, so I didn't bother with the primer and powder. As long as I have my Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation ($19.95), a long-lasting foundation with a natural, dewy finish and medium/full coverage. Easy to apply, so it's perfect for on-the-go's!

Brought this along, but never used it -- Face Of Australia Eye Lights Under Eye Concealer* ($12.95).


❷ BRUSHES

Four of these brushes are by Royal & Langnickel's Silk Green Line*. The Powder Brush was once, what it was supposed to be used for, a powder brush. However, it's now my bronzing brush. I seldom powder anymore, with my new foundation!

Then there's the blusher brush, that I use to apply blushers and highlighters.

The next two are for my browns! Small slanted brush for drawing in the tail of my brows and the squared tip brush to fill in the inside of the brows. Its width fits the size of my brows purrrfectly!

Traditional synthetic foundation brush by Nude By Nature*. Nothing special.


❸ PALETTES

Three palettes, or technically 2 palettes and 1 small shade for my brows. I've only brought the Le'lan Vital palette to use the dark brown for my brows.. Eehm. So bulky. I really need a new product for my brows!!

BYS Blusher Trio 'On The Bright Side' ($6.95) was the palette I selected to suit my pink lipsticks. Blushers and lip colours always need to match-up in my beauty world, so only brought along a set of pink blushers/lippies.

I really like the bronzer of Face Of Australia's Glamazon Leopardess Contour & Highlight Kit* ($9.95). It suits my skin much more than my previous favourite, Australis' Jumbo Mineral Bronzer. My FAVOURITE HIGHLIGHTER OF ALL TIME IS STILL The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, but I didn't want to risk breaking that again, so nah.


❹ EYES

My favourite felt-tip liner, Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner ($13.95). Long lasting and easy to use, good stuff!

Another item I've brought, but never really used is Australis' Lash & Brow Extender ($10.95). Also needed a brown eyeliner for lazy-eyeliner days, so Savvy by DB's Brilliant Bronze ($7.95) was my pick!


❺ LIPS

No lip-glosses allowed, because I'm always lazy to touch-up. I actually brought 3 products along with me, but one died on the way home, so here are the two left.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($12.95), a long-lasting red that I could always depend on! Yes! Then there's Face Of Australia Lip Quench in Peaches & Cream* ($9.45). Many dislike the scent of this, but this is one of my favourite pink shades!


❻ MISC

Other small products and items:

Random eyelash curler, Face Of Australia Sharpener ($4.95), Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm* ($6.95), Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (sample) and The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream (sample).


That's all! Even though I only spent half an hour to collect these, there were no times that I gasped, "ah I should've brought..." during the trip. These were perfect!

Rewind back, I wouldn't change a single thing!

OK. I lied. Maybe more lipsticks..

polls & surveys

Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) were provided for consideration only. 

Handbag Declutter: October 2014

WOO. Another handbag declutter post. Last post was posted a few months ago. I only remembered about these posts, because I realised my schoolbag was getting heavier and heavier! (｡•́︿•̀｡) 

Needed to be cleared!


1 & 2. INTER-COLOR Lip Liners
Yeah, I use lip liners on the go. These two were from Vietnam, but can be found on eBay for less than $1. Doesn't last that long, but works as a base or solo. Cute Pink is really perfect for Spring, Dark Pink is okay. I thought it was a berry-coloured, but nop!

3. Face Of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Pecan Pie*
This looks like an ugly brown, but it's a really good MLBB colour for one of those days where you just want to tone down from all the pinks and corals.

Pecan Pie, Fandango, Cute Pink, Dark Pink

4. Australis Colour Inject Lip Gloss in Fandango
I love this product! Somewhat sheer, but the formula is thin and close to non-sticky! This shade was not made with opacity though! Gives me nice, juicy-lookin' tinted red lips. Love!

5. Face Of Australia Lasting Looks Lipstick in Coral On*
I usually use this as a dab. Just a really lovely coral colour.

Coral On, Tangerine Queen

6. Face Of Australia Lip Paint in Tangerine Queen*
Posted about these in depth here. On days that I want glossy, orange lips (basically, the whole of last week), this is what I run to!

7. essence Lipstick in Colour Crush
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I hate the formula of these, I don't know why it's in my bag. They remind me a lot of NYX Round Lipsticks -- pigmented and smooth, but not creamy and glides everywhere. I really need to get down to swatching these though. Urgh.

Colour Crush, Miss Behave

8. Models Prefer Infinite Colour Lipstick in Miss Behave
I don't know why no one has really looked into these. These are AMAZING. They last long (a tad drying after a few hours), pigmented, creamy and cheap. Why guys, why?!


And of course, the two lip balms -- Burt's Bees* and Blistex Lip Conditioner. Nothing too fancy, just some regular lip balms. One for the handbag, one for the schoolbag.

Have you tried any of these lipsticks?!

Ah, now that I've cleared em... My bags will be much lighter! Yay!
But that also means.. made room for the new clutter..


Disclaimer: Products marked with * were provided to me for review consideration only.

Impulse REVAMPS!

Impulse, is a brand that brings me back into the past. Back to my primary school and high school days where girls would have Impulse deo-sprays in their bags. And it was after P.E. classes, lunch or recess that we'd stink up and ask each other, "Hey. Do you have any Impulse?". 

Hahahaha. I've actually never owned a spray by Impulse. Not because they weren't affordable, but because I've never really cared too much about sprays. I use whatever my mum buys home, but I've actually never brought them to school.... because they just didn't look pretty like those from Impulse. I was a teen, okay?!

Back in my years, Impulse's sprays looked something like this...

I've never gone near them, even after high school. The sprays just makes me feel like a young teen. In my mind, it's the same idea of listening to a song that reminds you of a particular phase, you know?
(⊙﹏⊙✿)

But I got mailed just yesterday!.

Three of their scents, in the new, revamped packaging!

I actually had a peek at their press release prior to the surprise mail that came through. Initially, I was planning to show you guys the press-release photos that hit my inbox. I actually thought they were really pretty illustrations, but now I can show you guys some of the products in my own photos! AND sniff and tell too!

All three comes in metallic-gold packaging, with a twisted, covered top.

I suck at describing scents though... so here goes.......


Romantic Sparks (violets and wood)
Perfectly suited name. Reminds me of what I'd wear on my first [teenage] date. Floral scent, a bit overwhelming for my personal preference. I don't usually go for floral-scented perfumes. Fruities are my favez!

Merely Musk (lime and sandalwood)

I actually like this much more than Romantic Spark. Not as overwhelming, very fresh and clean with a spark. This is actually my favourite sniff out of the three. (´ω｀★)

Illusions (rose and sandawood)
This is a confusing one for me. My sister prefers this out of the three though. It's not strong like Romantic Spark, but still a floral vibe. My favourite is still Merely Musk!

So those were the ones which were sent to me! These are marked as "perfume in a spray". Don't underestimate em'. They are really perfume packed in a spray. The less is more!

I'll show you the other pretty illustrations for the other scents they have though! I'm actually more eggcited to show you the illustrations more than anything, haha. ヽ(=^･ω･^=)丿


Love Story (violet and raspberry)

Sweet Smile (pear and jasmine)

Into Glamour (sandalwood and vanilla)

Very Pink (roses and grapefruit)

Tease (red fruits and woods)

Goddess (gardenia and pear)

That's it! Aren't the illustrations pretty? Matches the packaging!

I will go take a sniff sniff at Into Glamour. I love everything vanilla-scented, so I'm keen to see what it's like!

If you're a keen bean on these, they are on sale at Priceline at the moment. Half price until 22 October, so only $2.50 each for now!

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this post were provided for review consideration only.

Recent Empties ♡

Reporting back with my latest empties, haven't done this in a while!

These empties are from.. um, too long ago to remember.. They've been cluttering in my room for yonks, and only until last week that I felt bothered enough to take snaps and record a vlog for them.. (¬▂¬)

❶ Maybelline Total Clean Express Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover (discontinued)
Finished! Love these dual-phase make-up removers, with the prices I've purchased them for.. Still have a few more, and I can only hope that they newer removers that replaced these are repackaged versions.

❷ Sukin Cream Cleanser ($9.95)
I loved their foaming cleanser, but this one just didn't do it for me in terms of removing ma make-up and the "grime". Ironically, I used this at the END of my routine (wth, right?) to tone [by putting moisture into my skin] for its creamy formula!

❸ Palmer's Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes* ($7.49)
Worked well, but would've worked better if I hadn't let most of em' dried out! The price though...




❹ LUSH Love Lettuce Face Mask 
OMGAH, I LOVE this mask. This was my second tub and I love love love it so much! It's grainy, so as you wash it off, it also exfoliates.. leaving the skin feeling incredibly smooth. It's probably more suited towards oily skin-types, but I love it anyways. Sometimes it's a tad drying, but nothin' a tad of moisturiser can't fix!

❺ LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub* -- chuck out
Throwing this out.. I kinda grew out of the idea of [using] these lip scrubs. Hmph. It's not a bad product, it's just not a necessity anymore.

❻ NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose ($8.95)
Throwing this out too. Absolutely hate the formula. Urgh. Probably the cheapest "highly-raved" lippies back in the day, but the formula is.. urgh. Definitely a "miss" for me.

❼ Australis Curved Ink Eyeliner* -- chuck out
LOVE the idea of this, and it definitely worked for me after a few times practising. The formula is really disappointing for me though. Although it was dark and easy to use, the formula is smudgy and not crease-proof as claimed.

❽ U Little Beauty Dreamtime Enriching Night Cream* ($24.95) -- chuck out
Not a fan of this moisturiser. Used it halfway, but I can't stand it anymore. It takes years to blend, before it settles and seeps into the skin. Not the best in terms of being moisturising, and it's a night cream.. I'd pass. I was really fond of this brand's Happy Clappers hand cream though!

❾ Bioglo Rose Essence Sleeping Mask
I really like this! Reminds me a lot of the Laniege Sleeping Pack samples that I used to use, except that the consistency is a tad thicker. Very hydrating like that though, would repurchase if the store that sold this (eCosway) didn't have their stupid and impractical "MEMBERS-ONLY" system. Urgh.

❿ The Face Shop Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Cream 
Really lovely gel-product, almost like serum in a jar! It's weightless, hydrates, and instantly smooths your skin. Slightly like a primer, but I won't be OTT and claim that it'll smooth your skin that much. I'm not sure of it's price, but I think it's fairly expensive. It was $50 in Vietnam, so... eep. Bye-bye to the best serum/moisturiser I've ever used!

That's 6 empties along with 4 products I'm chucking out. Eeehm.. Call it an "empties" anyways!

What's the latest product you've finished?

Drop me a comment!

Brb. Repurchasing LUSH's Love Lettuce mask and price-checking that awesome TFS Chia Seed cream!


Disclaimer: Products marked with * were provided for review consideration (from yonks ago). 

Empties: September 2014

FINAL-FREAKING-LY!

GOD! It feels like I've not finished any products in so long. It irritates me so much when I look over to my bedside table, and all I see is... Well, everything except the table's surface.

It's covered in moisturisers, body lotions, body washes, baby shampoo, hand creams AND.... an alarm clock (lol, random as fuck, but an alarm clock will never help my punctuality. Don't even know why it's there!).

AND then we have my make-up corner..... Well, let's not even go there!   (҂⌣̀_⌣́)

But for the past two months, I've been putting effort into finishing as many products as I could. And... here they are...

Cedel Blow Dry Faster Hair*
Probably the first-ever hair product that I've consider to repurchase. I have thick, almost afro-like hair. Unlucky Asian, I know! This really did help in reducing my hair-blowing drying time. I don't blowdry very often, but it's still worth to have around the house for when I do.

SmartSkin Scented Cleaning Wipes
My cute girlfriend bought me these wipes from Woolworths. REALLY appreciate her thoughts, but these wipes were horrible for my skin. I have nowhere near sensitive skin, and these irritated the fuck outta my skin every single time I used them. Used twice, gave up. Did go back once, but same same. Became wet wipe for my desk and hand-swatches after.

Burt's Bees Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash*
This stuff smells like grass, or something natural. Not my cup of tea. I also like my body washes to foam up, and this didn't. Didn't really moisturise either. Toodles!

Batiste Dry Shampoo
Didn't really pay too much attention to this. It doesn't really suit my hair type. My hair will smell and I'll get dandruff after a day of not washing, so this wouldn't fit with my hair type. Actually have no idea how I've managed to finish this.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation #52
LOVE this foundation! Lightweight with a natural, non-cakey finish. Light-to-medium coverage and is OK in terms of long-lasting power. Satisfactorily lasts through a day of uni, so that's all good. Will definitely need to repurchase. The shade is also probably the closest to my skin out of all foundations I've used!

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Mambo
YES! FIRST LIPSTICK EVER! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨
Close to being the first lipstick I've purchased since I've started wearing make-up and now, it's the first lipstick I've finished! Kinda. I cheated a bit, but come on guys! Any lip junkie would consider this a huge milestone when it comes down to empties.


On most people, this looks like a regular nude, but on my pigmented lips, it looks very much like a pinky-nude. I won't repurchase this shade though. The formula is fantastic, but I've grew out of the "nude lips" look. Meh.


Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm
Not sure what flavour/scent, but I hated this at first. It felt like it just sat on the lips and didn't do any nourishing and hydrating. I found that it worked better to use during the night time, since I'd have no problems with it sitting there overnight, but for daytime, it'd add too much moisture to my lips that it'd make everything I apply on top slip and glide everywhere!


LashGrip Eyelash Adhesive
Haven't finished this. Haven't actually worn lashes in forever now. It's gone off though. All liquid-y so must chuck. Repurchase-worthy though.


L'Oreal Paris Base Magqiue Primer
I have the full-sized product of this. Just needed to get this out of my sample stash! I think, even after finishing the full-size, I won't repurchase. I have dry flakes on my cheeks, and this just requires too much blending. The consistency is just really... thick?

Avene Thermal Spring Water
Bought this from Priceline's 40% OFF skincare sale. My skin didn't love this, but it was nice to use. Soothed well, but I had to use A LOT of it -- 50mL gone in less than a week. I can't see myself repurchasing this for now since I'd go through it way too quick. Maybe when Chemist Warehouse decides to do a 50% off on the full-sized one.


That's all! I can now FINALLY discard this bag of empties.
It's bloody annoying to have a bag of finished product (rubbish, pretty much) sitting in your room for yonks. Then having to take them out to photograph...

AND it doesn't help when your Mum goes through your room and nags you to dispose them every often! （；¬＿¬)

What's ONE product you've finished recently?

I'm still motivated to finish more make-up products... Hopefully my next empties will feature 654165 lipsticks to get things cleared out!


Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) were provided by PR for review consideration only. Please take a peek at my disclosure policy. 

Drugstore Cosmetics Launches for Australia -- September 2014

YO.

Every single time I blog in class, I get into such an egg-citing persona. Not sure why, just happens.
I'm swamped with assessments for now, so if there are any new products that I've not mentioned, I will give you a cookie if you could let us know in the comment box.

---------

Bourjois Lip Liner Contour Edition ($16)

Not sure how many shades they've released in this range, but these lip liners are described to "provide shape and definition to the lips". Glides easily. Precise application. Conditions the lips. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 Heures ($19)
NEW lipstick collection (?) Long lasting lipstick, provides 12 hours of wear without re-touching. Semi-matte. Creamy texture. Non-drying.






Face Of Australia Eye Lights Under Concealer ($12.95/2 shades)
Yay for Face Of Australia!! Newly released under-eye concealer. Provides coverage for dark circles, uneven skin tone and fine lines. According to its description, it contains skin conditioning agents to nourish the skin. Highly pigmented, that leaves the skin appearing dewy and fresh. Features a pen applicator and brush tip, in case you're wondering.

Face Of Australia Lip Paint ($6.95/3 shades)
OK. The first thing that comes to my mind as I saw this.... "OH MY GOD! OCC LIP TAR DUPES?!" -- Don't lie. That was your first thoughts too, right?
Well, apparently not.. The description says it's a lip gloss. Intense colour, with a high shine effect. Ehhh.






Katy Perry Banging Beauty Lashes by Eylure ($14.99)
Medium length-ed lashes, for curl and volume. Totes Katy Perry lookin' to me!

Australis Velourlips Matte Creams ($9.95)
Saw this on Australis' official Instagram. NEW shade additions! Woohoo. Below are swatches, by GoorooBeauty.

Credits to gooroobeauty's Instagram >

Ooooooh! I'm so excited! I've still yet to try of these. I REALLY need to go through my lipstick collection, until I purchase more... though that's just... impossible.



Max Factor Skin Luminzer Foundation ($33.95/6 shades)
Looks similar, huh? Reminds me a lot of the one that was created by both Olay and Covergirl. Offers lightweight coverage though, which is outcast of MF's foundation range...

Rimmel London Colour Rush Jumbo Lip Balms ($12.99/4-5 shades)
Not officially released at Priceline and those other stores, I'm assuming. However, I've spotted this in My Chemist's latest catalogue (pretty much a Melbourne-based version of Chemist Warehouse)! Yes, more jumbo pencils. No info, but I'm assuming that they'll be available at Chemist Warehouse soon (I've noticed that these chemist-stores usually almost identical catalogues).

That's all for this month! Some products were released last month, so don't mind me for including them into this month's post!

I'm off to do my assessments, here's the fun monthly poll for you to fill out...

web survey

Thanks for being patient with me. I've had some posts drafted, but I've yet to find any time to photograph the products!!

Hopefully I'll get around to that soon!

再见！

(Goodbye in Chinese)

Drugstore Cosmetics Launches for Australia -- June 2014

Another month, another drugstore launch post! Can you believe we're in June already? Time flying by way too fast!

Just been bumming around after exams. All day listening to my favourite radio station, KIIS Radio whilst getting updated with what's new in the beauty blogosphere -- all the new products, and the drama (this post makes me LOL). Sure feels good to have some free time to yourself, but I've also been snacking on A LOT of chocolate, so I've gained some weight too! Eeeeep.

Sipping on a hot chocolate as I'm putting this post together...

************

Australis SmokifEYE Eyeliners ($7.95/4 shades)

Australis' NEW eyeshadow liners, which are described to feature a soft formula that is smudgeable and easy to blend. I think these may lean towards being an eyeshadow product, rather than being a pure eyeliner product. At least that's what I feel anyways.. We'll have to see how these perform when testers are available!

Australis Full On Foundation ($12.95/6 shades)

Another newbie by Australis! A cream foundation, with a buildable heavy coverage. Yea, in a stick form, to add to it. The product is described to "hydrate and moisturise" whilst providing strong coverage and maintaining your natural complexion. Absorbs excess oil, and has SPF30+. 

Lanolips Banana Balm ($15.95)

This is more of a beauty product, but it's exclusively available to Priceline as a "special preview" before  going on counters next month! I've never tried Lanolips despite hearing such good stuff about it. This product is a creamy 3-in-1 lip balm. Ultra moisturising and protects with a soft sheen.

Nivea Lip Care Additions ($3.98)

Nivea strikes back with two new additions to their lip care range! In two delicious flavours, there's... 

• Peach (Fruity Shine range)
• Olive & Lemon (Pure & Natural range)

In addition, their entire Lip Care range has been revamped with an added "super-moisturising" Hyrda IQ formula. 

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks  ($13.95/13 shades)

Not exactly new, but revamped! Yeap. The entire collection. New n' improved lippies with a brilliant burst of rich, pure colour infused with creamy moisture. 

Rimmel BB Cream Mate ($12.95/3 shades)

An new addition to their existing BB cream range, this is the Matte version, I suppose. Similar to their original version, this is suppose to offer coverage to minimise the appearance of blemishes, control shine, but contains less SPF than the original -- SPF15 only. Also supposed to rebalance oily skin with some fancy ingredients!

Savvy by DB

Savvy released two new ranges recently, which has made somewhat a big hit in the blogosphere, I believe. They are the High Shine Lip Lacquer and Ultra Matte Lip Colour. 

I've swatched both products in store, and I'm very temped by the Ultra Matte Lip Colours! I haven't shared with you my favourite products lately, but I've been loving matte liquid lip products, so I've always been on the lookout. Glad they've released these! I've always seen them featured on blogs, so give them a good research perhaps?

The High Shine Lip Lacquers are totally not my thang. They seem a bit too wet, and too glossy for my liking. All are up to you though! ;)

P.S. Don't have photos for these, but feel free to check them out on Amy's and Angie's blog.

Innoxa Lush Lashes Mascara ($19.95/2 shades)

After last month's packed post of mascaras... I'm getting a bit tired of writing up blibs for mascaras.. Haha. Innoxa's new Lush Lashes Mascara is described to be formulated to create "volume, length, curl and definition whilst conditioning the lashes". Also features a curvy brush to help ensure lashes are coated evenly. 

Face Of Australia Dark Side Nail Collection ($4.95/8 shades)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! A NEW nail collection?! Yes please! Can you guess what this collection is inspired by?

YES! The new collection is inspired by the most evil villains of all time. 

Sorry for the slack image. Snipped it from their advertisement. Hahaha................................. -_-"

essie Snakeskin Collection ($16.95/6 shades)

Never featured essie in my launch posts, but considering that they are now made to be available at Priceline... I can't find any reasons to exclude them! Their newest [limited edition] nail collection features "warm, autumnal tones with a snakeskin finish". Yes. It's a magnetic-nail based collection. 

For anyone who hasn't seen nor heard of magnetic nail polishes. Basically, you paint them on like regular nail lacquers, and then hover the magnet plate (usually at the top of the cap) over the manicure for a pattern transform. 

Revlon Highlighting Palette ($26.95/4 shades)

Available in four palettes, these highlighting palettes features a combination of shimmer shades in one convenient palette. The brick highlighter helps to achieve a multi-dimensional look and enhance and illuminate the skin. Described to be "easy to blend with a lightweight feel".

...And that's all for this month's launches!

Let me know which products you will be chasing after!

Ah, I'd love to chase after those Savvy by DB Ultra Matte Lip Colours, but... Ummmm. Yeah. I think I'd have to, haha! I'll look for neutral shades that I know I'd wear, although I don't remember if they had any. Will have to check em' out! 

OH! And... Face Of Australia's Dark Side nail collection! *~*